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There are two camps in this world:

1. The ones that say: “Never quit.”

2. And the ones that say: “Quit fast and move on.”

In many parts of my life I’m asking myself:

When is actually the right time to quit?

Situation

Adam Alter is a Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

The guy knows what he’s talking about, he’s the bestselling author of “Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to get unstuck and unlock your potential”.

He was recently on a podcast I frequently listen to (link to episode below) and shared his perspective on quitting.

Let’s get it!

Idea

During the episode him and the host Steven Bartlett share a “Quitting framework”.

It works like this:

You ask yourself the following question first:

“Why are you thinking about quitting?”

If the answer is “It’s just hard”, then you move on to the following question:

“Is the challenge worth the potential reward?”

If the answer is “Yes”, then you should keep going.

If the answer is “No”, then quit.

Now what if you answered question 1. with “It sucks”?

Then you ask yourself:

“Do you believe you could make it not suck?”

If the answer is “No, I’ve tried my best.”, then quit.

If the answer is “Yes”, then answer the following:

• Is the effort to make it not suck worth it?

If the answer is “Yes”, then make the changes & keep going.

If the answer is “No”, then quit.

Why does this work?

Let’s start with a disclaimer.

I wouldn’t use this framework to take decisions for me.

I would use it as a guideline for when I feel stuck.

But it definitely helps getting clarity on if the goal you are pursuing is worth it.

If the answer is “Yes” you’re probably motivated enough to see it through.

Try it,

Gereon

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P.P.S.: Link to Episode 261 of “Diary of a CEO” with Adam Alter:

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